Heel-removing device



H. P. DICKERSON.

- HEEL REMOVING DEVICE. nrmcmou FILER IM 26. I920.

1,371,474. I Patented Mar. 15,1921.

mvmoe PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY P. DICKERSON, OF SALEM, OHIO.

HEEL-REMOVING nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed May 26, 1920. Serial No. 384,504.

T 0 all 10 ham it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY P. DICKERSON, citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Oolumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heel-Removing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to new and useful improvements in heel removing devlces.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for removing either portions or'the entire heel of a shoe and to do so in most efficient and expeditious manner by the employment of novel instrumentalities.

Another object is to provide a heel clamp which readily adjusts itself to heels of different sizes and is automatic in operation, requiring no setting or readjusting by the operator.

A still further object of'the invention is to provide a removing element and operating parts so constructed that in operation the element first enters the heel and travels horizontally through the same whereby the heel or portion thereof, is wedged apart; and then is expeditiously carried downward, whereby said element entirely removes said heel or portion from its support.

Among other objects of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described that will be strong and durable, and simple and comparatively inexpensive to construct, also one in which the several parts will not be likely to get out of working order.

lVith the above and other objects in View the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example of which is described in the follow ing specification and illustrated in the accomp anying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device showing the jaw open and ready to receive the heel,

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the upper end of the device showing the jaw as having completed its inward movement,

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the jaw at the end of its downward movement,

Fig. 4: is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line aa of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the head,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of one of the clamping members, and

F1g. 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line wa/: of Fig. 1.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a pedestal or vertical support having an enlarged base 2 and a shank 3 at its upper end. The upper end of the shank is enlarged to form a head 4 which overhangs the shank and has a flat top. On the head a pair of clamping members 5 is pivotally mounted on screws 6 driven into the head and prevented from spreading by a connecting bar 7.

One of the members has a rounded boss 8 projecting into a correspondingly shaped recess 9 in the other member whereby ahinge joint is formed between the members. Alined flanges 10 project upward along the rear edges of the said members and to the rear side of one of these members a flat spring 11 is secured so as to extend over the other flange and engage in a keeper 12 carried'by the latter. A stop pin 13 placed on the head is impinged by the spring when the clamping members are swung rearward during the clamping operation, whereby said movement 'is limited. The spring returns the parts to normal position after each operation.

The clamping members have their forward edges curved as indicated at 14 and also beveled as shown in Fig. 6. The curved edges of the members normally form an arcuate recess conforming to the general contour of the heel of a shoe. The shoe is placed upright with the back of the heel in the recess of the clamping members as indicated in dotted lines in'Fig. 2, so that the back of the heel is presented to the beveled edges 14 of said members, whereby said edges bite into the heel. I

The heel is attacked by a swinging jaw or claw 15 pivoted on the upper end of a swinging support 16 pivoted at its lower end to an ear 17 projecting from the base 2. The upper end of the claw is curved toward the head 3 and reduced to a substantial knife edge whereby a general wedgeshape is had. A hand lever 19 is pivoted at 21, the pivot 21 being some distance from the end of the lever. A pair of links 18 is pivoted to the lever by a bolt 20. The lever is bifurcated so as to straddle the shank as shown in Fig. 4, the links being on each side. The opposite end of the pair of links is secured on a pivot bolt 21 which also pivots the claw on its support. In Fig. l the parts are shown ready to receive the shoe and as the lever 19 is swung down the claw is driven into the heel 01" the shoe so that the latter is wedged apart.

The inner end of the lever iscurved toward the body of the lever as indicated at 22 and at its extremity is pivoted to a pair of links 23 which also straddle the shank and have elongated slots 2a extending inward from their opposite ends. A headed bolt'25 fixed in the claw free fromthe support 16projects through said slots. These slots permit the links 23 to be swung away from the shank during the first movement of the claw or duringthe swinging of the same, but when the claw reaches the position shown in Fig. 2' the'bolt 25 will be at the inner end of the slots and continued movement of the lever will swing the claw on its pivot 21. This'latter movement of the claw pulls the heel from the shoe and the claw moves down to'the position shown in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that after reaching the end of the inward movement as shown in Fig.2 the support 16 ceases to swing. This is due to the fact that the bifurcated end of the lever 19 is pivoted on the shankB so as not to swing the links 18 after reaching this point. When the heel is forced into the clamping members the latter are swung toward each other on their pivots and not only clamp the heel but conform to the contour thereof so as tobite into the heel with a' substantially uniform pressure at all points.

The heelis entirely removed below the line on which the claw enters and this is of course controlled by the operator who places-the shoe so as to remove only as much of the heel as is desired. It is pointed out that the counter and upper of the shoe are not brought into contact with any part of. the device and thus saved from injury or bruising. That portion of the heel which is removed is not injured and maybe used again. In placing the heel for removal the forward'edge of the claw and the top of the clamping members being alined, little difficulty is experienced in adjusting the front edge of the jaw. j The invention is presented as including all such modifications, changes and alterashoe so that the parts will enter exactly between the same adjacent layers of the heel. It is preferable to position the device so that the operator may readily observe the edges 14 of the clamping membersand the tions as come within the scope of the appended claims. 7

What I claim, is: c V 1. In a heel removing device, a support,

a fixed heel receiving member mounted on the support, and a heel removing member disposed so as to move toward the receiving member and constructed to be also moved downward with relation to said receiving member after completing its first movement.

2. In a heel removing device, a relatively fixed support, a heel receiving member mounted on the support, a swinging member, a lever, a-connection between the lever and the swinging memberfor swinging the said member and the heel enteringmember toward the heel receiving member, and means for moving the heel entering member downward afterfit has been swung.

3. In a heel removing device, a support, a heel receiving member, aswinging member, a heel engagingelement pivoted on the swinging member, a leverfulcrumed on the support, and connectionsbetween the lever and the said element constructed to swing the member and the element simultaneously and then to hold the said member and move said element independently.

l. Ina heel removing device, a support, a heel receiving member mounted on the upper end of the support, a swinging member mounted adjacent the support, a claw 

